The discipline of dendrochronology is a set of techniques by which the annual growth layers of trees may be assigned to a definite calendar year. The history of changes in the tree’s environment is reflected in various properties of the tree rings. These properties include ring width, cell size, wood density, trace element composition, radioactive and stable isotope ratios. External environmental variables affect the physiological processes that control tree growth. The annual radial growth increment produces a permanent record of these effects. Tree-ring series can be used to reconstruct past variations in precipitation, temperature, soil moisture, river flow, the frequency of extreme droughts, forest fires, major forest pest outbreaks, and several other variables. What can be reconstructed depends on those factors that limit tree growth. The reconstructions typically cover several centuries, but can occasionally extend to millennia. In this course, we will use instrumental and proxy records (tree-ring chronologies) to place the climatic conditions faced in the management of trees, water, livestock and the indigenous herbivores, and people and their needs into a proper perspective.

The instructors of the course are: Ramzi Touchan, David M. Meko, Peter F. Ffolliott, Ünal Akkemik, Nesibe Köse, and Christopher H. Baisan